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Advocacy

Why Preserve?

“Preservationists are the only people in the world who are invariably confirmed in their wisdom after the fact.” ~~John Kenneth Galbraith

New
York’s history has shown that its preservationists are the “cooler
heads” in the city’s heated real-estate climate. Developers seeking
maximum profits, political appointees doing the Mayor’s bidding,
business interests promoting economic development through architectural
cleansing—these are the hot heads. Powerful special interests seeking
short-term gain do not produce sound public policy or long-term vision.

Preservation,
on the other hand, has proven itself to be a major promoter of the
public interest. New Yorkers and visitors to the city know this from
personal experience. Walk through our city’s historic districts and
admire its individual, scenic and interior landmarks. New York’s most
exciting, vibrant, livable neighborhoods are also its most historically
and architecturally significant areas. The value of these places today
is virtually unquestioned. Yet those with memories will remember the
hard-fought battles required to protect so many of these landmarks.

Architecture critic Paul Goldberger said about the Upper West Side and LW’s work to preserve it:

“The
Upper West Side is not going to be frozen nor should it be frozen. LW!
will always have a role in the neighborhood’s ongoing health and
preservation. You can never put a neighborhood on auto-pilot. You can
never say, ‘the work is done.’”

New
York City needs its cooler heads, or else the hot heads will erode the
beauty and integrity of our neighborhoods. Those in power come and go,
but the damage they do—whether intentional or accidental—may well be
permanent.

Find out how you can join the “cooler heads” and help preserve New York!